Dispensing machine for bottled goods



May 24, 1932. v E. HEAD DISPENSING MACHINE FOR BOTTLED GOODS 5Sheets-sheaf 1 Filed NOV. 23, 1929 IWIQWM I May 24, 1932,.

Filed Nbv. 23, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR. flEem/y E. #540ATTORNEYS.

y 1932- H. E. HEAD 1,860,028

DISPENSING MACHINE FOR BOTTLED VGOODS Filed Nov. 23, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet3 R R1 Q 1 m \v v. N m

E K v N m 5: "Q a Q A N T I T l L k N f a "X U N 5, 1H I I l Q (h h m NN Q Q INVENTOR. flEeM/w 5. H540 ATTORNEYS.

May 24, 1932.

I H; E HEAD DISPENSING MACHINE FOR BOTTLED GOODS 5 Sheets$heet 4 FiledNOV. 23, 1929 INVENTOR.

haw/ 60 ATTORNEYS.

May 24, 1932. H. E. HEAD DISPENSING MACHINE FOR BOTTLED GOODS 5Sheets-Sheet 5 I INVENTOR. bEE V/l/V Ef/E/lp BY Filed Nov. 23, 1929 I/ll o ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 24, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HERMAN E. HEAD, OFARVIN, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR- OF TWO-THIRDS TO A. 3'. 3103-.

ARDSON, OF ARVIN, CALIFORNIA, ONE THIRTY-SIXTH T MARY JOSEPHINE HEAD}ONE THIRTY-SIXTH T0 JAMES HEAD, ONE THIRTY-SIXTH I'O DONALD HEAD, ONE

THIRTY-SIXTH TO BONNIE 'HFAD, ONE THIRTY-SIXTH TO DAVID HEAD, AND

SEVEN THIRTY-SIXTHS TO WILMA HEAD DISPENSING MACHINE FOR BOTTLED GOODSMy invention relates to and has for a purpose the provision of a machinein which a large quantity of bottled goods such as carbonated beveragesof various flavors, can be stored, and the bottles dispensed from themachine with the utmost ease and dispatch. It is a further purpose of myinvention to provide a'dispensing machine of the above describedcharacter wherein the dispensing 19 operation is coin controlled so thatthe machine can only be operated to dispense bottles upon the insertionof a coin into the machine. I

It is another purpose of my invention to provide a dispensing machinefor bottled goods in which the latter can be maintained in a cold stateready for serving when dispensed from the machine, all in such manner asto avoid the' present practice of placing bottles in an ice containingchamber, from which the bottles are removed by hand which is veryundesirable, for due to themelting of the ice with the attendantaccumula tion of water in the chamber, the bottles become partly orwholly submerged in cold water, thus necessitating that the clerk reachinto the water in order to remove the bottles.

Furthermore, although the bottles may be ori 'nally stored, in such achamber in an ord e rly manner so as to segregate bottles containingbeverages of different flavors, the bottles soon become mixed andscattered about in the chamber so that it is difiicult for the clerk tolocate a bottle containing beverage of a particular flavor desired.

. These disadvantages are entirely overcome in the machine embodying myinvention; and bottles of beverages of different flavors, after beingplaced in the machine in a predeter- 4 mined arrangement, are maintainedin a cold state and can be dispensed from the machine as desired.

I will describe only one 01 15 of dispensing Figure 2 is a verticallongitudinal sectional I view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1 andlooking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figures'l and 5 are vertical transverse sectional views takenrespectively on the lines, 4-4 and 55 of Figure 2, and looking in a thedirections of the respective arrows.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 2 and illustratinganother position of the dispensing and coin controlled mechanisms, and yF igure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sec-v tional view of thecoin-controlled mechanism.

Referring specifically to the drawings in which similar referencecharacters designate. similar parts in each of the several views, myinvention in its present embodiment comprises a receptacle R preferablyof rectangular shape and supported by .feet 10 in a slight ly elevatedposition from the floor. The interior of the receptacle constitutes acold 1 storage chamber 0 in which bottled goods are;- adapted to bestored and their contents maintained in a dold state. The receptacleis'of double walled construction with suitable insulating material 11interposed between a metallic lining 12 and the outer side walls 13, endwalls 14 and bottom wall 15 of the receptacle. I

In the present instance the chamber C is designed to receive ice as therefrigerating medium, and to this end the receptacles top wall 16 isprovided at one end with a filling opening 17 normally closed by ahinged door 18, and through which blocks of ice are valve controlleddrain pipe 21 is provided at the lowermost portion of the chamber topermit draining of the water when desired.

Spanning the chamber C transversely and secured at their ends tobrackets 22 fixed to the side walls 13 of the receptacle, are a pair ofangle bars 23 and 23 on which are supported horizontally in side by siderelation and longitudinally of the chamber, a plurality of platforms 24all of identical construction and each of U-shaped cross section to formtroughs ,on which bottles to be stored are adapted to be supported inupright positions one in advance of the other and confined againstlateral displacement. In the present instance five of the platforms 24are illustrated, which number will be varied in accordance with thedesired capacity of the machine.

For each of the platforms 24 a conveyor is provided and comprises. anendless belt 25 trained over pulleys 26 and 27 and an idler pulley 27.Each of the pulleys 26 is rotatably mounted on a pin 28 supportedbetween and from a pair of ears 29 which depend from each platform 24 atone end thereof. The upper stretches of the belts 25 ride upon and aresupported by the platforms 24, and the bottles to be stored in thechamber C are placed in upright positions one in advance of the otherdirectly on the belts so that a row of bottles will be supported on eachof the belts for movement thereby to' successively feed the bottles inresponse to driving, of the belts in the direction of the arrowin Figure3, to the position wherein the foremostbottle on each belt will bedisposed directly beneath and accessible through an opening 30 formed inthe top wall 16 of the receptacle, for removal from the chamber.

The movement of the bottles by the belts to the position wherein theforemost bottle on eachbelt is disposed directly beneath the openings30, asshown in Figure 6, is definitely limited by an abutment in theform I ofla vertically disposed metal plate 31 spanmng the chamber Ctransversely and having a. flange 32 secured to the underside of the topwall 16 to rigidly support the plate in the path of movement of thebottles on their respective belts.

In the present instance each of the openings 30 is normally closed by adoor 33 hinged at 34 on the top wall 16 of the receptacle and having adepending rib 35 disposed in the path of movement of the bottles. Therib ofeach door is provided with an inclined surface 36 constitutingacam and positioned to be struck by the upper end of the foremost bottleon one of the belts during-movementof the foremost bottle from theposition shown in Figure 2 to that shown in to thereby eflt'ect movementof the door to the open position shown in the latter figure so that thedoor can be manually raised to the fully opened position shownin brokenlines in Figure 6, to permit removal of the foremost bottle.

In the present instance the pulley 27 ofeach of the belts 25 isrotatably mounted on i an arm 37 mounted for rocking movement on a shaft38 fixed at its ends in brackets 39 secured to L-shaped frames 40supported by the angle bar 23 and by angle brackets 41 secured to theside walls 13 of the receptacle. Each arm is normally urged by a spring42 to the position shown in Figure 2 V wherein the respective belt isout of engagement with a driving element 111 the form of a roller 43fixed to a shaft 44 journaled 1nbearings 45 supported on the frames 40.One end of the shaft 44 extends exteriorly of the receptacle through oneof its side walls 13,

and a stuffing box 46 surrounds the shaft to prevent leakage of waterfrom the chamber around the shaft. To the outer end of the shaft 44 isfixed a gear 47 constantly meshing with a pinion 48 fixed to a stubshaft 49 journaled in a bearing 50 supported on v the side wall 13. Alsofixed to the stub shaft 49 is a relatively large pulley 51 over whichvis trained an endless belt 52 also trained over a relatively smallpulley 53 fixed to theshaft 54 of an electric motor 55 sup:

ported underneath the receptacle R from the bottom wall 15 thereof, sothat when the motor is energized the roller 43 will be driven in thedirection of the arrowin Figure 2.

In the present instance an by the provision of coin controlledmechanisms, each of the'arms 37 is capable of being moved from thenormally'urged position shown in Flgure 2 to the position shown inFigure 6 wherein the respective belt 25is moved into engagement with thedriving roller 43, the motor 55 being concurrently energized to drivethe roller 43 and thus efi'ectfeeding of the bottles on the belt. As themechanisms for all the arms .37 are identical in construction, a'description of one mechanism will sulfice for all.

Each coin controlled mechanism comprises an actuator in the form of anoperating lever 56 pivoted intermediate its ends at 57 on the top of aninverted common to all the mechanisms and secured to the top wall 16 ofthe receptacle. One end of the lever terminates in a dome shaped pad 59by which the lever is adapted to be manually depressed, and to the otherend of the lever is pivotally connected by a pin and slot connection 60,one end of a link 61. The other end of the link is pivotally connectedat 62 to one of the arms 37 so that when the lever is depressed from thenormally elevated position shown in Figure 2 andto which it is urged byone of the springs 42, to the fully depressed position shown in Figure6, the arm 37 will be rocked from the position shown in the formerfigure to cup shaped housing 58 that shown in the latter figure toengage the against movement to the position shown in Figure 6 by alatching member in the form of a pin 63 slidably mounted in a cylinder64 fixed in the housing 58 and normally urged by a spring 65 to theprojected positlon shown in Figures 2 and 7 wherein its forward endprojects into an arcuate coinchute 66 formed in the housing 58concentric with the axis of the pivot 57 and slidably receiving anarcuate shaped plunger 67 depending from the operating lever 56. Theportion of the pin 63 normally projecting into the coin chute 66 formsan abutment for the plunger and normally limits the depressing move mentof the lever 56 to the position shown in Figure 7.

A coin receiving opening 68 communicates laterally with the coin chute66 above the pin 63; and with the lever 56 occupying the normallyelevated position shown in Figure 2, a coin deposited into the opening68 will be free to gravitate into the coin chute in advance of theplunger 67 and will come to rest upon the portion of the pin 63projecting into the coin chute. With a coin in this position as shown infull lines in Figure 2, and the lever depressed to advance the plunger67 against the coin and thus tend to force the coin past the pin 63, thecoin will act against the beveled extremity 69 of the pin whichconstitutes a cam surface, and will retract the pin sufliciently againstthe action of its spring 65 topermit the coin and the forward end of theplunger 67 to pass the pin so that the coin will be free to traverse thecoin chute and deposit into a coin drawer 7O enclosed by the housing 58and normally locked against access by a suitable lock 71.

,As the coin traverses the chute under the action of the plunger 67, itmomentarily bridges a pair of insulated contacts 72 and 7 3 constitutinga normally open switch forming part of a circuitshowndiagrammatically inFigure 7 and including the motor 55 and a source of current supply 74,so that the circuit willbe momentarily closed to energize the motorconcurrently with the engagement of the respective belt 25 with thedriving roller 43, to effect driving, of the belt an amount sufiicientfor the foremost bottle on the belt to be moved from the position shownin Figure 2 to that shown in Figure 6, thus rendering the foremostbottle accessible for removal from the chamber 0 through therespective'opening 30.

By reference to-Figure 2 it will be clear that the maximum level of icewater in the chamber Cas definitely controlled by the of the bottleswill be maintained in a cold state and yet can be readily removedthrough the openings 30 without reaching into the water.

, Access to the chamber'C for the loading of thebelts 25 with thebottles of beverages to be stored in the machine for dispensingtherefrom, is had through an opening 75 normally closed by a door 76preferably glass paneled so thatthe supply of bottles can be viewed,thus enabling the clerk to determine the supply of bottles inthe machineat any time. v

In the use of the machine, bottles of beverages of diiferentfiavors areloaded on the different belts 25 and in the present illustration, thefive belts provide for five different flavors of beverages. Suitableindicia (not shown) may be provided on the pads 59 of the operatinglevers 56 to indicate the particular flavor of beverage contained in thebottles which will be dispensed as a result of actuations of thatparticular operating lever. It will be clear that in operating themachine it is only necessary that a coin a be inserted in one of thecoin receiving openings 68 and the particular operating lever 56associated therewith, be then depressed from the position shown inFigure 2 to thatshown in Figure 6 to cause an operative connection to beestablished between the driving roller 43 and that belt-25 controlled bythe selected operating lev'er, as well as to concurrently cause themotor 55 to be momentarily energized to drive said belt and effectsufficient feeding of the bottles thereon to dispose the foremost bottlein the position shown in F igure 6 wherein it is readily accessible forre moval from the chamber C through the particular opening 30 directlyabove the bottle. Although the momentary operation of the niotor maydrive the belts a greater distance for bottled goods embodying myinvention,

it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may bemade thereinwithout departing from the spirit of the invention and thespirit and scope of the appended claims. I

I claim.

1. A machine of the character described .comprising a receptacle havinga top opening, a platform in the receptacle, a conveyor including anendless belt and pulleys over which the belt is trained with its upperstretch overlying the platform to support bottles in upright positionsone in advance of the other for movement by the belt successively to aposition wherein the foremostbottle is accessible through said openingfor removal from the receptacle, a rotary dri"- ing element, means formounting one of said pulleys for movement bodily to occupy one positionwherein the belt is out of engagement with the driving element, andanother position wherein the belt engages the driving element so as tobe driven by the latter, and means for moving said pulley to its sec-0nd mentioned position.

2. A machine of the character described comprising a receptacle having atop open- 1n in c luding an endless belt and pulleys over which the beltis trained with its upper stretch overlying the platform to supportbottles in upright positions one in advance of the other for movement bythe belt successively to a position wherein the foremost bottle isaccessible through said opening for removal from the receptacle, arotary driving element, a pivoted. arm on which one of said pulleys ismounted for movement thereby to occupy one position wherein the belt isout of engagement with the driving element, and another position whereinthe belt engages the driving element so as to be driven by the 'latter,a link'connected to the arm, and an actuator connected to the link formoving the arm to the position wherein the belt engages the drivingelement.

, HERMAN E. HEAD.

a platform in the receptacle, a conveyor

